The next business book we're reading ...

We saw a review for this title today and can't wait to read it:

"The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change It" (Charles Duhigg)

What especially drew our attention was the mixing of psychology and business perspectives that explain why bad habits persist and how good habits can be formed. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

Lowe's Inman News Service Review

Bloomberg Business Week Review

This review sealed the deal: "For those who truly crave to change their habits, their teams' routines and their lives, this book offers well-founded hope and simple, concrete tools that have been proven to work, over and over again."

One more good one on the shelf .. Next to some perennial favorites from Zig Ziglar, Og Mandino and newer stuff like Jim Collins, Michael Gerber or the Heath Brothers. What's on your bookshelf?

PS - I realize that this post is a little ironic given the last one "Why We're in this Business" ... But actually it fits right in because we see the methods and success stories the author uses for "good examples" as being very much in keeping with how we have been able to achieve our high standards ... It's all habit!

Remember, honor and give thanks for our blessings

An Inspector from Southern Manatee Fire & Rescue came to do a routine inspection this week and he told us about the amazing monument they created at their Headquarters.

Located a few hundred yards from our office, we wanted to let everyone know about this special 9/11 memorial. The Bradenton Herald article covered this:

Crafted from a 12-foot, two-ton I beam salvaged from ground zero at the World Trade Center, and more than a year in the works, the memorial has elements representing the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa.

Read the full article here or see the photo gallery.

We are spending the weekend with our families and observing a moment of silence at 8:46 am. While we remember, honor and give gratitude to those whose lives were lost and since impacted in the wars that followed, we are hopeful about the future. As we look at our children, we feel optimistic about the world they will see and put our faith in the goodness we see in our daily lives. Today and every day we keep in mind the people we have to thank for this.

Businesses on the Move

As amateur real estate market watchers, we found this article very interesting:

"Lower rents have Southwest Florida businesses on the move" (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

While we work mostly with residential moves, we have moved several businesses and even done work for nonprofits as well. Our website testimonials are primarily from homes we've moved, but if a business would like referrals from other businesses, we are happy to provide them.

Incidentally, we couldn't agree more with what Art from Lexjet said in the article from the Herald-Trib: "We believe happy employees make for happy customers." Amen.

What every business in Florida should know ...

I'll go out on a limb here and say that Florida is to hurricanes what Kansas is to tornados.  We're like hurricane alley down here and as such should have the best preparation, response and recovery for these massive storms.

At this morning's Realtor Business Hour with the Manatee Association of Realtors, we got a firsthand look at Manatee County's Public Safety Center.  Wow was it impressive - both the facility and the dedication, professionalism, knowledge and friendliness of the people working there.

We could go on and on (and on and on) about the how amazing this place was but you just have to take a tour yourself.  It's amazing to see one of the premiere facilities in the state and learn how it works.  Here's a taste from the Bradenton Times:


Media Day at the Brand-New Manatee County Public Safety Center from The Bradenton Times on Vimeo.

As a follow up to the tour, we will be working on our "Continuation of Operations Plan" for the 2011 Hurricane Season.  Our tour guide told us that 40% of businesses that close due to disasters end up closing for good - we don't want that!  So, we are using the resources from the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and the Florida Business Disaster Kit to get our plan in place.

Stronger just got ... BETTER!!

We are proud to report that we are now members of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to joining the Chamber, we took the extra step of getting certified in the Chamber's Better Business Council.